At Stepping Stones, every homeless youth gets help according to their needs. Often that means helping them find a job, other times that means earning a degree. And sometimes they need something much more dire — like life-saving first aid.
   

Within the past two years, Stepping Stones has had to call 911 several times for a youth in crisis. On two of those occasions, life-saving first aid could not wait, and staff and volunteers had to administer CPR until first responders swooped in. Thanks to these heroes, none of these incidents turned into tragedies. They were instead, eye-opening moments, not just for the youth journey, but also for Stepping Stones as an organization.
   

Stepping Stones serves homeless, unaccompanied youth from across Greater Nashua. They come from all walks of life, but share a history of trauma and endure circumstances that put them at increased risk of mental and physical health complications. On any given day, dozens of homeless youth and volunteers are here. None of them plan on being part of an emergency situation; it is our job to be ready to make sure they are all safe.
 

That’s why we keep a well-stocked first aid kit right at our front desk. Thanks to a generous donation from Boston Onnuri Church all of our first aid supplies are up to date. To feel fully prepared in case of an emergency, all we need is an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). This device has provided essential, life-saving care in countless emergency situations. According to Harvard Medical School “CPR saves lives, but combined with AED Defibrillators it can save even more,” and that the use of an AED nearly doubles survival rates compared to CPR alone. 
 

Thanks to a grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, Stepping Stones staff all received CPR and AED First Aid certification as of January 2023 and are fully prepared to use the device in case of an emergency. Further, simply knowing that an AED on site provides a peace of mind that cannot be quantified–this is why you so often see them prominently displayed in hospitals, malls, and gymnasiums. Homeless youth already benefit immensely from the knowledge that when they come to Stepping Stones they are in a safe place to work on their goals; the addition of an AED will be a huge step forward in making them all feel safe.